'Dark Knight' Shooter James Holmes -- 'He Said He Was The Joker'

'Batman' Shooter

'He Said He Was The Joker'

7/20/2012 10:40 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Colorado movie theater shooter James Holmes was sporting red hair and told people he was "The Joker" when he was apprehended by police Friday morning ... this according to NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

During a news conference this afternoon, Kelly said, "We have some information, most of it is public. It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red, he said he was ‘The Joker,’ obviously the enemy of Batman."

ABC News is reporting Holmes made the Joker remark to police, not during the shooting.

It's likely Kelly obtained the information from Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates -- according to reports, the two are good friends. In fact, Oates was a member of the NYPD for 21 years.

Holmes may have been trying to recreate a scene from the 2008 movie, "The Dark Knight" ... which features a scene where The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, wears a red wig while destroying a hospital.

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